Friday, October 5, 2012
Another Day, Another Akin Goof
This time Tood Akin amends ten years of personal financial disclosures after omitting his state pension payments. See it here.
So What We Know Now
What we know now is that Akin staffer Patrick Werner knew what he was doing when he jumped ship before Akin launched his senate campaign. Werner left the train before the train-wreck and landed at Americans for Prosperity.
No Permanent Enemies
Wednesday night Mayor Francis Slay and Sen. Kiki Curls headlined a fundraiser for Jamilah Nasheed. The most poignant moment was when Mayor Slay walked through the evolution of his relationship with Nasheed: she led the effort to recall him; she sponsored his local control legislation; he endorsed her over an incumbent. That provided some insight in to how she can function in the Senate and how he can win support in North City in his upcoming reelection campaign. A strong cross-section of the St. Louis business community comprised the majority of the crowd.
Lobby King Lembke Twitter Account
Satire twitter accounts usually have the feel of unemployed wannabe operatives anxious to show the cyberworld the genius of their wit. But sometimes they hit home. Lobby King Lembke works because it daily documents Sen. Jim Lembke’s little perks.
Yesterday: #ThisDateInHistory 2 yrs ago, @jimlembke had SHELTER WORKSHOP MANAGERS pay for his hotel. #mosen #moleg #HowLowCanYouGo
The Day Before: #ThisDateInHistory 40 mos ago, @jimlembke even had his $6 parking garage ticket #Paid4ByALobbyist #mosen #moleg #DoesItEverEnd
Holt to IUPAT
Bruce Holt, former state representative who recently left the staff of Sen. Scott Rupp, is headed to work for the Painters. He’ll be lobbying in Jefferson City for the KC and St. Louis locals of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades.
Big Republican Fundraising Numbers
HRCC will show over $1 million raised, and Speaker Tim Jones will record over $275K raised in their October quarters.
What’s Next for Court Change
The big monied interests try to change the Missouri Court Plan are disengaging from their November ballot proposal but are said to be mulling their next step. It is tentatively to write their own language, and go back and try to collect signatures. They did this once before and failed. Still they may try again, aiming now for November 2014…
Irony of the Court Fight
The judge that sank the court plan by upholding Secretary of State Robin Carnahan’s language was Judge Jon Beetem. Back in 2006, he took out a two-term incumbent, Tom Brown, with the help of some of the same people who are fighting now to change the court plan.
From a 2006 Kansas City Star article by Tim Hoover
“A mysterious group called Citizens for Judicial Reform paid for the negative ad campaign. Its only financial contribution, according to Missouri Ethics Commission reports, was $175,000 from Americans for Limited Government less than two weeks before the election…
“To understand why Brown became a target, it helps to know the interests of Howard Rich, listed as chairman of Americans for Limited Government. Rich, a New York real estate investor, has backed term limits for lawmakers and judges, limits on the government's taking of private property, and state spending lids.
His group this year backed a ballot measure in Montana that would have allowed the recall of judges for any reason. The measure was pulled from the ballot after courts found pervasive fraud by signature gatherers…
In Missouri, a Rich-backed group called Missourians in Charge earlier this year spent more than $2 million trying to place measures on the ballot that would have limited state spending and the taking of private property for public use. Cole County Circuit Judge Richard Callahan upheld the secretary of state's decision to bar the issues from the November ballot because of mistakes in the initiative petitions…
“As a federally registered tax-exempt organization, the group is not required by Missouri law to identify its donors…
“Mike Clark of Jefferson City, listed as treasurer for Citizens for Judicial Reform,
said little about his committee, formed Oct. 6…
“Citizens for Judicial Reform filed a spending report with the Missouri Ethics Commission at 10 p.m. on Election Day that showed it paid Axiom Strategies, a Republican political consulting firm in Kansas City, $173,195 on Nov. 7. Missouri law requires that reports be filed within 48 hours of incurring expenses.
“Jeff Roe, who leads the firm, declined to discuss who paid him to work on the
campaign against Brown…”
Columbian Drama
The blog Columbia Heartbeat has been raising a ruckus in the Senate 19 race.
First, they reported that Democratic Nancy Copenhaver accused Rep. Mary Still offered her money to drop out of the primary against Jon Wright. Read it here.
Then yesterday, the blog recounts a Facebook fight between presumptive Minority Leader Jake Hummel and the suspected snitch in the Copenhaver affair, Arthur Nunn. Read it here.
Drama, drama…
Lobbyist Registrations
From the Pelopidas website:
Michael R Gibbons, Charles Hatfield, and Tricia Workman deleted Public School Retirement System of the School District of Kansas City, Missouri.
$5K+ Contributions
Citizens for Neely - $34,000 from James Neely.
Citizens to Elect Kurt Schaefer - $20,200 from Missouri Senate Campaign Committee.
Citizens to Elect Kurt Schaefer - $10,000 from Lewis & Clark Regional Leadership Fund.
United Food & Commercial Workers Local #655 Elect Political Action Fund - $6,458 from United Food & Commerical Workers Local #655 Elect Political Fund.
Missourians for Koster - $75,000 from Life Sciences Fund of Greater K.C.
MO Republican Party - $40,000 from Anheuser Busch Companies.
Spence for Governor – $10,000 from Julia Steurer.
Jay Nixon for Missouri - $35,000 from Michael Ketchmark.
Spence for Governor - $7,500 from Carl Hogan Jr.
Spence for Governor - $7,500 from Brian Hogan.
Jay Nixon for Missouri - $15,000 from Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Kanas City PAC for Missouri.
Missouri’s Future - $21,500 from O’Brien Law Firm P.C.
Jay Nixon for Missouri - $19,000 from Holman Schiavone, LLC.
Missourians for Fair and Impartial Courts Committee - $15,000 from O’Brien Law Firm.
MO Petroleum Marketers + Convenience Store Assoc PAC - $143,189 from U Gas Inc.
Friends of Caleb Rowden - $5,025 from Dempsey for Senate.
HealthPAC - $6,000 from Health Care Leadership Committee – State Account.
MO House Democratic Campaign Committee -$20,000 from United Food & Commercial Workers International Union.
MO House Democratic Campaign Committee - $10,000 from Jake Hummel Campaign Fund.
MO House Democratic Campaign Committee - $6,400 from Citizens for Vicki Lorenz Englund.
MO Republican Party - $200,000 from HRCC.
Democratic Association of Secretaries of State – Missouri (DASS – Missouri) - $5,100 from Democratic Association of Secretaries of State.
Missouri Senate Campaign Committee - $10,000 from Students First.
Missourians for Ed Martin - $125,000 from Republican State Committee.
House Republican Campaign Committee Inc. - $10,000 from Friends For Munzel.
House Republican Campaign Committee Inc - $22,000 from People For Solon.
Birthdays
Happy birthdays to Sen. Joe Keaveny (56), Rep. Nick Marshall (40).
Saturday: Yancy Williams.
Sunday: Zach Wyatt (28), Nixon’s policy director Jeff Harris (48), Kenny Ross and Sam Barbee.